Any "Latest & Greatest" about Delta?
Can't abide NAI
Joined APC: Jun 2007
Position: Douglas Aerospace post production Flight Test & Work Around Engineering bulletin dissembler
Posts: 11,989
I was in the galley one day before the pax arrived and asked a FA for a soda, she said, "let me put Mr. Jingles down".... then did something on her phone and said, "what did you want" - I told her want which soda and said, "what's Mr. Jingles on your phone?"
"It's my virtual cat, it's an app on my phone.". :roll eyes:
Search the iTunes store - there's dozens of them.
"It's my virtual cat, it's an app on my phone.". :roll eyes:
Search the iTunes store - there's dozens of them.
I've hear about the reconfiguration, but honestly don't remember what it entailed. It was a conversation with a flt att recently and she was telling us about her hot thanksgiving buffet, free coffee and 777 reconfiguration. All I heard was blah, blah, reconfiguration, blah, mr jingles, blah...
Delta Trades Empty Premium Seats for Coach on Some Jets - Bloomberg
Notice some of the 767's are also being configured to a higher density. Makes sense for places like India.
Actually, I didn't care then either, because I thought she was trying to pull a fast one on me.
Only reason I brought it up in the first place was form something Timbo said. The pilot group basically gave up it pension and approximately $1.3 billion/year in pilot compensation when the company was struggling. Fast forward 10 years later the company is making $2.6 billion a year and they can't even provide a decent meal for crews on Thanksgiving/Christmas or charge $1 for a cup of coffee in our crew rooms.
Not everything should have to be a hard-nosed negotiated process.
The company has had no problem asking the pilot group to go above and beyond normal duties in the interest of improving the overall product, and it would be nice to see small tokens or appreciation from time to time. Just an observation of mild disappointment, that's all.
Not everything should have to be a hard-nosed negotiated process.
The company has had no problem asking the pilot group to go above and beyond normal duties in the interest of improving the overall product, and it would be nice to see small tokens or appreciation from time to time. Just an observation of mild disappointment, that's all.
Yeah, I know. I think it all goes back to when a Delta Captain could afford to walk into the FA lounge and buy the entire base dinner with the cash he had in his pocket. Somehow we've retained that image despite making a fraction of what we used to and working a lot harder for it. Inflight is it's own department at DL. Their own budget (cash cards being given out) all sorts of paid 'special assignments', etc... they do as they please. Flt Ops has never, in my time at DL, been more than a skeleton crew doing a job. For the most part, we're just taken for granted. You could say that we carry a lot on our shoulders, and do so because we are professionals, not because anyone ever asked us to. If all we did was our jobs, by the book, the wheels would come flying off the operation in about a hot NY minute.
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2009
Posts: 5,113
Only reason I brought it up in the first place was form something Timbo said. The pilot group basically gave up it pension and approximately $1.3 billion/year in pilot compensation when the company was struggling. Fast forward 10 years later the company is making $2.6 billion a year and they can't even provide a decent meal for crews on Thanksgiving/Christmas or charge $1 for a cup of coffee in our crew rooms.
Not everything should have to be a hard-nosed negotiated process.
The company has had no problem asking the pilot group to go above and beyond normal duties in the interest of improving the overall product, and it would be nice to see small tokens or appreciation from time to time. Just an observation of mild disappointment, that's all.
Not everything should have to be a hard-nosed negotiated process.
The company has had no problem asking the pilot group to go above and beyond normal duties in the interest of improving the overall product, and it would be nice to see small tokens or appreciation from time to time. Just an observation of mild disappointment, that's all.
The entire airline took a hit post-911, but Delta has also used the opportunity to institutionalize a shift of wealth from the pilots to other employees, to offset their cuts. Just look at SharedRewards.
So don't feel upset when your money is being used to fund buffets. Feel pride. The pride of ownership...
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: undefined
Posts: 328
When I saw the pile of snacks over by the coffee machine, I didn't care either. That was until, our flight attendant showed us the pictures she took of the full buffet the had in their lounge.
Actually, I didn't care then either, because I thought she was trying to pull a fast one on me.
Actually, I didn't care then either, because I thought she was trying to pull a fast one on me.
screen shot pc
Not to mention we have 9-ish different fleets. That has a massive associated cost with it, and is also a huge contributor to the average block hours per month flown statistic. While "narrowbody" costs were isolated, its still not apples:apples because of the massive training churn we have that they don't. Not only lack of productivity due to the training bubble, but also in the resulting trip inefficiencies. Since marketing > flt ops and wants every plane to fly to every city every day, we're stuck with more 30 hour layovers while they keep on trucking and racking up their daily average. We also had a few hundred furloughed pilots that helped pull that stat down, exacerbating an already not exactly fair context.
And yet even then, at the end of our current book, they will still make $1 more than us on like equipment*?
*Considering that what…95% of their fleet is -700's while less than 10% (and falling every day) comprises ours.
And yet even then, at the end of our current book, they will still make $1 more than us on like equipment*?
*Considering that what…95% of their fleet is -700's while less than 10% (and falling every day) comprises ours.
The smoke and mirrors rate comparison ALPA produced for our last TA showed them making $1 more than us on like equipment by the end of the contract. This is factually inaccurate and, even worse, very misleading. For example, the actual Captain rate at SWA is ~$186. But that's $186 per "TFP." So ALPA used a conversion factor to get what they claim is an apples to apples rate comparison. With the conversion factor, it does show them making $1 more. HOWEVER (and that's a BIG "however")... that doesn't really tell the story. Their contract allows for a good portion of their flying to be paid at premium pay. If you look at the end result of how many days they fly/how much they make versus how many days we fly/how much we make... they are still being compensated MUCH better than us while flying fewer days. THAT is the comparison that is relevant.
So, trying to just compare rates is in this case is VERY misleading. ALPA is smart enough to know the difference. The question we have to ask ourselves is, "why would they intentionally mislead the pilot group like that?" I think the answer is obvious. They were selling the TA and were more than willing to mislead us into believing the TA put us equal to SWA. Whatever it takes to get the TA passed... because they are the smartest guys in the room and know what's best for us. (Incidentally, it's this attitude more than anything else that I think is primarily responsible for the existence of DPA.)
BTW, I totally agree that comparing 737 to 737 is the wrong comparison to make. The MD-88/90 is the category that should be used for the comparison, as it is the category that has the flying most closely resembling the flying done by SWA.
I know you read the powerpoint presentation from the head of the NMB when she flew to Atlanta to lay out the ground rule for our contract negotiations to the MEC. She made it very clear that any release would be contingent on our proposals being reasonable and the definition of reasonable would be our standing amongst the other passenger airlines.
Carl
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2009
Position: Gold-Braided Lesser French Fort Commander
Posts: 137
Personally, I hope the architecture firm that did T4 has been fired, never to be seen again on the premises. I could have had the 5th year architecture students at UT do a project on this and come out with a much better result. I find it amazing that to get outside the airport one has to walk almost completely to the other finger, and the signage there is abhorrent.
I completely agree T; and what's even worse is to consider that this forced deathmarch at Terminal 4 was intentionally, and mercilessly, conceived wholly to guarantee commercial leaseholders that every single passenger would trudge past every single storefront and eating place thus guaranteeing maximum eyeballs/day and ensuring that every location rents out as Class A space. Such willful commercial ruthlessness at our passengers (and ours) expense is, literally, breath-taking.
"Welcome to America! These yoga pants would make you look fantastic! How 'bout a 5 dollar bag of chips to go with that? We do dry cleaning, too..."
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post